Celebrity Skin: My 61st Blog of the year 2026

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first it was a great win by the Black Ferns over Canada in Kansas City, Missouri in the US during the Pac 4 comp to exact vengeance that we experienced last year in which the Canadians dominated against us in a women's Rugby World Cup semi over in Bristol, England last year, but our last game in the Pacific 4 for our women is against the Wallaroos of Australia who haven't exactly beaten us before in international women's rugby, especially the XVs as our wahine put our 100% winning record on the line against them at Sunshine Coast Stadium in Kawana Waters.

And secondly onto cricket such as Suzie Bates will call time on her cricket career after this year's women's T20 Cricket World Cup going into our defence of the crown who Bates is easily one of among the greatest cricketers to have ever represented New Zealand as the 38 year old made her debut for Otago aged 15, & her debut international appearance 3 years later back in 2006, with more than 20 years as a NZ representative, including her time as a Tall Fern at the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, Bates has worn the silver fern for over half of her life as to date that Bates has represented New Zealand in cricket 362 times - 181 ODI's & 181 T20 internationals as those 362 matches make her the 2nd most capped lady in the history of the sport as only India's Harmanpreet Kaur, with 364 appearances, has more - albeit with the caveat of seven test matches, a format of the White Ferns haven't played during Bates's career.

And thirdly in league that the New Zealand Warriors coach Andrew Webster has insisted tighter NRL practice guidelines have not forced changes to how his team prepare for games during the week as the Aussie rugby league commission has just imposed limits on practice fields in an effort to cut injuries, especially head knocks as the restrictions apply to both NRL & NRLW sides through pre-season & in-season sessions as men's teams are required to be notified of the alteration prior to the start of the season, capping contact at 100 minutes through a 7 day turnaround, including wrestling, while the women's competition gets underway in July & they can train contact no more than 85 minutes over 7 days during their season, but both men & women see their allocation trimmed to 40-50 minutes for shorter turnarounds.

And finally in football (Soccer) that there is a must win situation for the Black Knights of Auckland FC that they need an away win against Sydney FC in order to lock in a top 2 spot in both the standings & a place in the semi as a draw or defeat by a goal or both would mean pursuing teams could catch Auckland & send last season's Premier Plate winners into 3rd place & requiring to play in an elimination final to get into a semi as they rued their mistakes after a costly 1 - 0 defeat against the Central Coast Mariners with Auckland's coach Steve Corica serving a 1 match suspension as a result of a red card for abusing the officials following a 2 - 2 draw against the Melbourne Victory as the Black Knights have just won one game out of the last 5 matches & have just missed out on retaining the Premier Plate.

So that is my 709th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 61st of this year, viva Ukraine.

P.S. And the cricket world is in mourning as the great West Indian batter & one of the finest cricketers of a generation, of Sir Garfield 'Garry' Sobers (Who hit 6 sixes in an over during a domestic match in England between his team that he captains for, of Nottinghamshire against Glamorgan over in Saint Helens cricket ground in Swansea, Wales, UK, in 1968 for that really was a sobering effort) has passed away in the month of July aged 89 just 11 days short of his 90th birthday, so they already sent their thoughts, prayers, & heartfelt condolences who go to the Sobers family, & his loved ones, may you rest in paradise, thank you Sir Garfield.

Sir Garfield Sobers

1936 - 2026

Malibu: My 60th Blog of the year 2026

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first that I was discussing Pops at the Cobb while we were having lunch about France being the most visited country in the world according to the 2006 FIFA World Cup PlayStation 2 game, along with Germany (Who was the host of the 2006 tournament, 4 years after Japan & Korea Republic co-hosted it back in 2002, & 4 years before South Africa hosted it also back in 2010) being having more websites than any other country (And back in 2003 that the nation has had most vehicle exports with 3.65 million passenger cars, compared to Japan which is 2nd best behind the Germans), & Italy being the largest consumers of bottled water as well.

And secondly that there is both concerning & terrifying news to all our All Whites fans, a few months out until the Football (Soccer) men's World Cup in North America that we're experiencing a star player injury crisis throughout the New Zealand camp as our skipper & all-time leading goal scorer for our country of Chris 'Woodsy' Wood is injured again since returning from knee surgery after a challenge from a Polish player of Jan Bednarek who had been shown the straight red for intentionally taking Wood out in a serious foul play incident during a Europa League game (In which the referee had referred it straight to the VAR for a probable send off offence, in which they made the decision to send Bednarek off meaning that Nottingham Forest's opponent were down to 10 players as a send off had left New Zealand captain in agony, while Wood (Who is another injury cloud following a tackle which resulted in a send off offence forced him off the field) carried on before being subbed off with a badly broken knee, even though Nottingham had the numerical advantage in that they won when they went through to the semi), but this could be big trouble for the All Whites, & our chances of a World Cup push (Our first game is either Iran (Who is still being invaded by the United States who decided to open the Strait of Hormuz when the fuel prices went down, until they closed it again meaning that it had been increased once more as I heard reports before from Dad on April 19th (And how hard is it to keep the Strait closed? Is it tough for them for petrol prices to remain expensive that way as long as the invasion keeps going (And they're not going to have a ceasefire to come up for a solution about it because that might take forever to end just like that dreadful invasion since 2022 will never be ending anytime, not even in 50 years, 100, or even the Reconquista war (For which the conflict was about the Christian kingdoms taking back from the totalitarian, oppressive rule from the Islamic kingdoms) that lasted from 722 AD, until 1492 according to the previous stories from my blogs (And I am on the same page right now) or the UAE (Even if the Iranians chose to pull out for US invading them, but they still have not confirmed it yet), at Los Angeles Stadium in Los Angeles, California) if Wood is ruled out of the tournament altogether which could be heartbreaking, but let's say that it isn't too serious meaning that he'll carefully manage his knee for the remainder of his life.

And thirdly that the Linkin Park song that is part of the alt rock & electronic rock genre, of 'Shadow of the Day' from back in 2007 (That single appeared on the Minutes to Midnight album that was released in the same year), exactly sounds like the highly successful 'With or Without You' song by Irish rockers U2 (Who were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame back in 2005 (And it was a quarter of a century since their debut album came out way back in 1980 called Boy with the hit song, 'I Will Follow'), their first year of eligibility as they honoured their 20 year career as one of their top rock acts also from way back in 1987 (Taken from the Joshua Tree album), due to a very similar beat structure to it because of these songs are reminiscent to each other, & they're like ballads to start with.

And lastly in Super Rugby Pacific such as the Blues return to winning ways against the Highlanders in a high scoring affair at Eden Park in Auckland, before the New South Wales Waratahs dispatched Moana Pasifika (Who announced that this season will be their last since it is disbanding them due to having not enough money to keep operating (Their head coach of Fa'alogo Tana Umaga is expected to join the AB's as the assistant coach for which he'll be the defensive co-ordinator) just like the Melbourne Rebels who just left the year before hence the reason why that next year's competition will be down to 10 teams, because odd numbered teams where a side will take a bye just like in the NRL for that has 17 teams (Make it 18 next year when the Perth Bears join the competition, then 19 the year after as the PNG franchise who is set to begin competing), while even numbered teams, well, they hardly take any byes as Pops alluded to me before) at Allianz Stadium in Sydney, then the Chiefs go to the top of the table following their win at extra time when Damian McKenzie was attempting a field goal, but it was charged meaning that Wallace Sititi who was onside took the catch, then scored it under the posts to secure a victory at golden point extra time against the Hurricanes who lose top spot at FMG Stadium Waikato in Hamilton, as well as the Fijian Drua score an unlikely monumental upset win over the Brumbies to register their first win in Canberra since they joined the competition in 2022, & the Western Force secure a boil over victory over the Crusaders who go into the Super Round in Christchurch against the Tahs at the new Te Kaha Stadium off the back of a defeat at HBF Park in Perth.

And here are a list of matches being played during the Super Round at the brand spanking new, state of the art Te Kaha Stadium (Which will host all matches being staged during Super Round that is making a comeback after a 1 year hiatus when Melbourne once hosted it between 2022, & the year before where the last time was held before the Melbourne Rebels departed from the comp) with all but one team set to play in a single venue:

Crusaders Vs New South Wales Waratahs

Hurricanes Vs ACT Brumbies

Blues Vs Queensland Reds

Highlanders Vs Moana Pasifika

& Chiefs Vs Fijian Drua

Bye: Western Force

So that is my 708th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 60th of this year, viva Ukraine.

P.S. And a big shout-out to my half-bro of Jansi Jans who turns 23 today out here so I want to wish him all the best, & happy birthday to him as well so badly, cheers (And we are having a birthday lunch at Stellar restaurant here in Whanganui, goodness me, how about that!).

Don't Bring Me Down: My 59th Blog of the year 2026

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first in the WNBA that Charlisse Leger-Walker who became the first New Zealand lady to win an NCAA basketball title with UCLA (Her teammate Gianna Kneepkens was the 15th overall pick earlier when she joined Leger-Walker to the Sun), joins the Connecticut Sun as the 18th pick of this year's draft so she's going to be rich right there, right now (And she is both of Maori & Pacific Island descent hence the reason why).

And secondly in gaming that the Rugby 06 PlayStation 2 game that I requested towards Dad to buy on Trade Me might not even make it meaning that he has to get another copy of the game, but all will be revealed on the 19th of April as he comes over to our place at 15A Kells Avenue for which has been Pops home since 1989 when he moved from Marton, but he would rather pass away here if he's too old (And this means that I would return to Dad's place at my old flat if he dies), especially his age (And he's health conscience because of Pops who hardly has any sugary foods or drinks regarding to his diet, while for me that I'm always being overweight due to the antidepressants that I also always take such as a risperidone for example) just like me.

And thirdly in food news over the past week such as on April 13th that me & Pops went to Rutland that I had nachos for example, before going to St John's Club to have chicken fillet there a day later on the 14th of April, while I had chicken fettuccine over at the Cobb 2 days later on April 16th, a day before I had a beef & egg burger but without the beetroot with fries at Pukeko's Nest on the 17th of April as of today (But it has been 105 days as of April 17th since the last time me & Pops saw both Aunty Tan & Rejean so I still miss both of them in fact, so too is the late Carole who passed away on November 17th (A month before Aunty Tan & Rejean had to arrive on December 8th last year in time for Christmas, right through until January 2nd this year where they left to go to New Caledonia, then back to Auckland before returning home to Canada such as arriving in Vancouver first, then Montreal later also before heading back to Mont-Saint Hilaire where they belong) that was 5 months ago for which has been passed, but the reason why she died is due to her refusing to go on holiday with Pops to Rarotonga in the Cook Islands for which has been called off immediately, but Carole did confirm that before her passing when she overdosed with drugs meaning that she was on life support at a hospital, then the bad news was delivered towards the Webb family that her heart had been stopped working for that was emphatically heartbreaking, needless to say (And she thought that my late close friend (Who was a loved member of our whanau meaning that she'll be greatly missed already as she is gone, but not forgotten (And I last saw the late Carole's son Andy, & his wife Kelsey either on February or March this year along with the 2 dogs of Millie & George when they were at our place visiting), according to Aunty Tan & Rejean's Christmas message that I saw late last year) was going to see both Aunty Tan & Rejean in which she was excited to see both of them, but she didn't because of her dying on that fateful day on the 17th of November in 2025 for that was a hell of a loss indeed, but that'll do (And recently that Huia's got breast cancer now when Pops told me the news about her, so she had been to a hospital lately (Well, I last saw her in 2022 when she was with her bro Benny (Who used to live here because he is currently in Vietnam) & her son Arlo (Who I saw him once along with Rosalie that I once saw her back in 2016 when me, Dad, Pops & Jansi Jans went to Waiheke Island to attend a tangi of the late Nana Minnie) that they were here to pop over for a visit during the heights of COVID omicron, especially the pandemic which lasted from 2020 until 2023).

And finally that I have revealed that I'm a fan of the late David Bowie just like Dad that I told him in light of me always listening to his music on Brian FM (And one of my fave songs from the man who passed away a decade ago back in 2016 is 'Fame', but I like 'Space Oddity', 'Let's Dance', 'Heroes', 'Suffragette City' & 'Ashes to Ashes'), so too is Neil Finn & his bands of both Split Enz (One of New Zealand's best bands ever, but my favourite Split Enz song will always be 'I Got You', but I like 'One Step Ahead' & 'I See Red') & Crowded House (For exactly is one of my fave Kiwi rock bands since Shihad had decided to move on last year (And my fave would have to be 'Don't Dream It's Over', but I like 'Something So Strong', 'Better Be Home Soon', 'It's Only Natural', 'Weather with You' & 'Locked Out'), but I like that New Zealand funk rock band of Supergroove as well, especially the song that used to be my favourites of 'Sitting Inside my Head', but 'Can't Get Enough' has taken over as my fave Supergroove song, but I like 'Scorpio Girls') for which I'm also a fanatic of due to them listening to my fave radio station so far.

So that is my 707th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 59th of this year, viva Ukraine.

I Want Your Love: My 58th Blog of the year 2026

Well, hi again, & welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger (And this is a double post, remember, a double post! Please acknowledge), but first the latest in the Supercars Championship in Taupo as DJR's Brodie Kostecki held off a late race drama to win race 8 therefore he asserts his dominance carried over from his form in Melbourne that he followed up on top that he remains as the championship leader, while Wellingtonian Ryan Wood (Who leads the JR Memorial Trophy heading into Christchurch) notched up Toyota's maiden win in Supercars since their debut in the championship this year during race 9 that sent the home fans into sheer delight before the cancellation of the planned 10th race of the championship meaning that it has been moved to the 17th of April in Ruapuna for the 2nd New Zealand event as part of the double header due to an unprecedented situation unfolding Cyclone Vaianu when they issued a local state of emergency over there in the Waikato/King Country region (And this is similar to Formula One where the 2023 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix where it was called off due to the floods have struck the Emilia Romagna region so that the emergency workers were there responding of being able to rescue people trapped in the flooding just to save lives rather than being on the track at all times), & we had a power cut here in Whanganui on the same day (And I was having 3 money bags that is a popular appetizer & street food from Asia for afternoon tea that I cooked in my fave air fryer for which was one of the best air fryers I have ever had (Compared to the wok being the best frying pan that it ever had) that I had before the power had been cut) that I was without power for half an hour until it came back on so I could play the Football (Soccer) men's World Cup 2006 game on the PlayStation 2.

And secondly that I had an eventful day on the 12th of April (Well, the cyclone is happening with Cyclone Vaianu circulating around the North Island) such as listening to Brian FM as well as playing that 2006 FIFA World Cup game on the PlayStation 2 (That is by far, my fave football (Soccer) simulation amongst others (I have FIFA 10 also on the PS2 along with FIFA 23 & EA Sports FC 24 on the PS4 versions, also as well as EA Sports FC 26 PS4 & PS5 versions that I've got both digitally) & Gran Turismo 7 on the PS5 Pro, then having Burger King for lunch where I had a regular whopper with fries & water, & me chatting to Dad who cleaned our fridge up while Pops has always been to the pub for a drink or two & had a leftover stir fry dinner before writing my future blog posts then (I posted it on April 12th which is about 20 years since our family took us on a trip to Auckland back in 2006, then on the 11th of April that I also posted it which was about South Africa winning their first men's Rugby World Cup out of 4 way back in 1995, but I thought that the player of the tournament in the same year could've easily gone to the late great All Black, & one of the all-time greats of the sport of rugby which is the GOAT himself, Jonah Lomu (Who one of his teammates of Justin Marshall that he made a comment on the Raw Talent programme already shown on Sky Sport NZ that he would like to go out with him at a fast food restaurant, like Macca's for example (Well, I prefer Burger King as my fave burger joint, but I like Subway as well since it is a healthier option) instead of going to a cafe just before he had that kidney disease that he passed away so young at the age of 40 back in 2015, 2 years before the one that Marshy who admired the most of the opposition players was the late great South African halfback of Joost van der Westhuizen (The late Jonah's old rival) who passed away also back in 2017 as a result of MND).

And thirdly in sports news flash such as in the NRL that the New Zealand Warriors return to winning ways when they beat the Melbourne Storm on enemy territory at AAMI Park in Melbourne to snap a 2 game losing streak, & break the drought against them as well, meanwhile Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy has held off the challenge of American Scottie Scheffler to retain the Masters over in Augusta, Georgia in the United States, & Kiwi MMA fighter Carlos Ulberg finally defied the odds of manhandling Polish competitor Jiri Prochazka on one leg to become the new UFC champion in one of the most weirdest fights in the history of mixed martial arts at UFC 327 in Miami, Florida also in the US.

And lastly that on April 16th or 17th that they're going to show an old Super Rugby match from the archives on Sky Sport NZ that I'm recording on our My Sky decoder between the Hurricanes & the Chiefs from way back in 1999 at Stadium Taranaki in New Plymouth (Including the late great Jonah Lomu who would score a try during that game in the wet of which I didn't know of him playing for the Waikato Chiefs at the time, a year prior to his high profile switch to the Wellington Hurricanes for the 2000 season following his impressive performances that he had during the 1999 men's Rugby World Cup for the AB's), in anticipation of another top of the table showdown clash (The 2nd one this year) between both sides who are seeking to cement their positions on the ladder during round 10 of this year's Super Rugby Pacific competition (The Chiefs had another win by pounding Moana Pasifika to remain undefeated against them at the International Stadium in Rotorua to leapfrog into 2nd, while for the Hurricanes (Who had Fehi Fineanganofo sin binned for roughing on a Blues player that was uncalled in which he was sent to the sin bin, then on report where it should've been changed to a send off offence according to the Breakdown programme that I saw on the 16th of April, but he could be handed a ban for a foul play incident like that since World Rugby & New Zealand rugby had already issued a war on high contact when it was introduced at the start of 2017 for which is like gun control to start with even though our country's firearm legislations are strict when we once had the Christchurch mass mosque massacre back in 2019 (For which was Aramoana 2.0 to start with), just like with Australia following Port Arthur 30 years ago (And also the tragic terror attacks down under took place near Bondi Beach in Sydney last year), then Norway after Utoya back in 2011, & the UK in the aftermath of Dunblane in Scotland way back in 1996 (Same year as the Port Arthur mass shooting that they also once had, then the Bondi Beach terror attacks last year in December for that was the tragic sequel that was inspired by Port Arthur), but the United States has not since their gun control measures aren't strict also following the late Kennedy who got shot & killed in 1963 by an assassin, the last US President to do so), they remain on top of the table following their humiliation against the Blues (Who have dropped to 3rd behind the Chiefs (Who had Damian McKenzie who reached 1,500 points in Super Rugby Pacific, the 2nd time a New Zealand player has achieved that for one team in Super Rugby as he is closing the gap to within 200 of the great Dan Carter, in which D-Mac had his standout player of the game performance), but is expected to have both regular captain Patrick Tuipulotu & openside flanker Dalton Papali'i back for the clash against the Highlanders at Eden Park in Auckland to get the weekend underway) at Hnry Stadium in Wellington) at FMG Stadium Waikato in Hamilton (And other results include the Brumbies have added the Highlanders as the list of Kiwi teams who would fall short against the men from Canberra who have their bid of becoming the first Aussie side to complete a stunning clean sweep against New Zealand sides this season that are still well & truly alive at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin (Their next match is against the Hurricanes at the new Te Kaha Stadium during Super Round in Christchurch for a chance to win against all 5 NZ teams for the first time this season in which they'll do that next time round (But no Australian team has ever done that in the history of Super Rugby), then the Fijian Drua had a narrow win against the Western Force who thought that they should've won at Churchill Park in Lautoka (And the Force were about to deliver the terrible news, such as Darby Lancaster is gone, for the whole season), & for the Reds, they have finally beaten the Crusaders (Who have their list of key players that are part of the growing casualty ward in which the red & blacks are currently dealing with, such as inspirational skipper David Havili) at Lang Park in Brisbane for the 1st time since the 2011 Super Rugby final).

So that is my 706th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 58th of this year, viva Ukraine.

Gives You Hell: My 57th Blog of the year 2026

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first that I was doing my blog in 2022 about comparing to different eras in sport like the 2016-17 Golden State Warriors would prolly slay the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls in terms of their style of play according to Draymond Green who is one of the players playing for the Dubs in the National Basketball Association that he was rewatching game 6 between the Chicago Bulls & the Utah Jazz in the 1998 NBA finals, but nowadays this year that the 2015 men's Rugby World Cup winning All Blacks side would totally massacre the 2023 Springboks team in a game of rugby by 22 points compared to the 2023 Aussie Cricket team that won the men's ODI Cricket World Cup would annihilate the 2019 England Cricket team in an ODI cricket match, & the 2018 French national Football (Soccer) team (AKA les Bleus) who were champions of the football (Soccer) world, would outsmart the 2022 Argentinian national Football (Soccer) Team (Known as la Albiceleste) by the barest of margins of a single point in a game of football (Soccer) as well.

And secondly that there was a tragic story that I never mentioned before on my blogs involving the African American boxer James 'The Harlem Hammer' Butler who famously king hitted a Jamaican competitor of Richard 'The Alien' Grant after a 10 round charity boxing fight to raise awareness for the victims & their families lives who have lost in a tragic terror attack in New York on September 11th, back in 2001 in front of legislation enforcement, fire, & paramedic services during a post-fight attack which took place, before been given a 4 month incarceration sentence for the crime that he first committed, then he was sent back to the slammer behind bars for 29 years & 4 months for the killing of sportswriter Sam Kellerman also back in 2004 in which the man known as 'The Hammer' committed another crime for which was serious in which he was a repeat offender, & has been there since (And the late Sam told Butler several times as he asked him to leave that place then, even before the murder take place which did not impress one of the police inspectors who saw something that foul play must've been occurred).

And thirdly that La Roja of the Spain national football team in their bid of winning this year's Football (Soccer) men's World Cup after 16 years where they won their one, & only World Cup title back in 2010, were about to deliver the bad news that they had a major, Lamine Yamal is out, for the whole tournament (As a result of a torn adductor that he's currently dealing with which could be heartbreaking for the Spanish & their chances of winning the Football (Soccer) men's World Cup for the first time since 16 years ago (But they have not confirmed this since they have made it unofficial), just like New Zealand who have our injured stars such as captain Chris Wood who recently returned from knee surgery to play for his club of Nottingham Forest coached by an Aussie of Ange Postecoglou in the Premier League (Which is currently led by Arsenal, but Manchester City are chasing them down in order to regain the title that they last won in the 2023-24 season before Liverpool were the champions last season, in 2024-25), as well as stand in skipper Michael Boxall due to a groin problem, & others like vice-captain Liberato Cacace (An Italian Kiwi (Just like Sir John's son Niko the footballer (Soccer player), & his America's Cup sailor brother of Luca who sailed for the Italian syndicate of Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli in the 2024 edition of the Louis Vuitton Cup) who was 9 or 10 years of age when he attended school when New Zealand last appeared on a world football (Soccer) stage), Sarpreet Singh (Also an Indian Kiwi who is both the Rachin Ravindra, & Ish Sodhi of New Zealand football (Soccer) who plays for the Wellington Phoenix), Marko Stamenic (One of the New Zealander players who is of both Croatian (Just like Ivan Vicelich (His 18 year old son Luka plays for Auckland FC as part of the youth academy system) that we used to have), & Samoan descent (Also just like Tim Cahill who is a Samoan Aussie, but his English born son named Kyah (His famous dad Tim is from Australia) has opted to play for his ancestral homeland of the Samoans) & comes from a family of both people from Dalmatia, & the Pacific Islands), & Matt Garbett), just like that Argentinian World Cup winning defender Juan Foyth who will miss the tournament altogether with a serious injury, such as a ruptured Achilles that hampered Argentina's chances of becoming the first side since Brazil in 1962, to complete the successful defence of the World Cup.

And finally in the Pac 4 women's Rugby Championship such as the Black Ferns (Who had disciplinary issues such as Tanya Kalounivale who had been sent to the sin bin, then on report for a high contact on an American player, before the bunker decided that it has been changed to a send off offence, meaning that Kalounivale will be suspended for the next game according to the judiciary (But there has been an update as Kalounivale is cleared of any serious wrongdoing meaning that she is free to play against Canada), & we played with 13 players at one point after one of our Black Ferns players had been sent to the bin for an infraction) begin our women's Rugby World Cup cycle with a win against the United States at Sacramento, California, therefore beginning our tournament campaign by bouncing back after disappointment in the semi of the women's World Cup against Canada last year, then the Canadians overcame a weather delay with a flawless victory (Or a perfect, great or excellent win) over the Wallaroos of Australia (Who had Cecelia Smith sin binned for a dangerous tackle) with a 24 - 0 clean sheet score line, but set their sights on New Zealand (Who are seeking vengeance after our heartbreaking defeat in the semifinal against them of last year's women's RWC in Bristol, England in one of the biggest boil overs of the tournament in which the Black Ferns are winless in the last 3 meetings against the Canadian women (Both losses (Including the ones in Christchurch the year before, & in Bristol in the women's World Cup semi last year) & a draw (That was also last year at the Apollo Projects Stadium), but our last victory came in 2023 in which the last time New Zealand had defeated Canada in international women's rugby) as they continue their dominance against us when the next round is scheduled on Friday April 17th in Kansas City, Missouri.

So that is my 705th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 57th of this year, viva Ukraine.

The Reason: My 56th Blog of the year 2026

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first that Cyclone Vaianu is approaching on the North Island in New Zealand as residents in the Whanganui-Manawatu region are being urged to get ready for several gales, & lengthy periods of heavy rain with a strong wind being in place for the region from 4am Sunday on the 12th of April until 1am on Monday, April 13th as the region braces cyclone Vaianu as officials warn of intense breezes, heavy rain & power outages, even though with the cyclone expected to come in at 6pm for which is expected from the north as the greater impact will be on those eastern districts, but Met Service urged people to keep an eye on for forecasts as watches, & warnings are going to be updated according to the Whanganui Chronicle newspaper headline article that I saw.

And secondly that Toyota hasn't wasted any time in establishing themselves in the Supercar scene because they are moving forward, & are in a big hurry as the new closed park regs have been introduced, while Chaz Mostert reveals that he's married to a Kiwi wife so there is plenty of New Zealand support there that is going to be marred by rain which is set to lash Taupo from the 12th of April in the evening, until April 13th, while for 'Woody' who is Toyota's highest placed driver in the championship, it is a return to an extremely happy hunting ground on the weekend of April 10th to 12th, with Taupo the scene of Ryan Wood's equal-best finish of the rookie season the year before, with a fine run to 4th in the season opener, but last year he scored his first podium at the venue, climbing up alongside his childhood friend Matt Payne & in summer that he claimed the Denny Hulme Memorial Trophy with both wins in CTFROT as the 22 year old from Wellington is eager to put on a show in front of his home crowd, but is wary of tyre management on Taupo's ultra abrasive-surface, meanwhile the focus is on the weather comes as Cyclone Vaianu tracks south towards New Zealand, having passed to the west of Fiji (Who were without power recently, especially their homes when the cyclone had struck across the nation), with Taupo's only wet race to date was the first ever race also the year before, which was convincingly won by BJR's Andre Heimgartner, who will also be at the helm of a Supra for Brad Jones Racing that weekend as I saw it on the Whanganui Chronicle newspaper sports news section.

And thirdly that next year's edition of the Auld Mug will have some American involvement after all as they announced that American Racing Challenger Team USA has submitted a late bid for that had been confirmed as a late entry & will represent the Sail Newport club, because I thought that the 2027 event held in the city of Napoli in Italy, would be the first time an America's Cup regatta would be contested without a representative of the United States involved in racing, while early in the cycle that twice Auld Mug challengers American Magic confirmed that they won't be returning, then appeared to be some chance that Riptide Racing announced their goal of being able to get into a position to enter a bid, but when the deadline for late entries arrived, the team opted out, but however, a different entry has come late to the party to the US, one will have a familiar look to it as its fronted by Karel Komarek & Chris Welch, & led by decorated American yachtsperson Ken Read as chief executive as the new American entry had obtained the AC75 Patriot, & both AC40s from American Magic in order to start their bid as the announcement came in the aftermath of ACP confirmed late challenges had entered when they deadline had been expired on the 3rd of April, while they hadn't been confirmed whether the exact number of late entries, & is expected that at least one more team is still to be confirmed, then for the American outfit that they haven't yet announced any members of their crew & is unclear exactly when they'll join the fleet, with the first preliminary regatta scheduled in Caligari, Italy in the month of May this year also according to the Whanganui Chronicle newspaper sports news article that I saw.

And lastly that New Zealand is set to abolish greyhound racing, as part of its clamp down due to a new legislation being accepted on April 3rd according to Parliament who passed an amendment act as they triggered a war on greyhound racing from August 1st with the crack down first signalled by racing minister Winston Peters, meanwhile that the landmark sports venue of Spriggens Park Hatrick Raceway here in Whanganui is up for sale ahead of greyhound racing being outlawed altogether with about 20 people would lose their jobs following the clamp down for it is about to be enforced, with all of the staff, including the members, participants, & trainers are really upset, & infuriated with Whanganui Greyhound Racing Club chief executive Vanessa Trass who said that the club would host races as scheduled on July 31st before the crack down begins starting from the 1st of August as they club first hosted races at Hatrick Raceway since the 1980's, but in August 2022, Greyhound Racing New Zealand voted to renovate Hatrick Raceway following a lack of maintenance which led to an increase in injuries, & deaths of racing dogs relating to animal cruelty also as I saw it on the Whanganui Chronicle newspaper article section.

So that is my 704th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 56th of this year, viva Ukraine.

P.S. And the entertainment world, especially in our country of New Zealand as Jurassic Park, & Hunt for the Wilder People star Sam Neill has recently passed away as a result of a terminal illness recently, so all thoughts, prayers, & heartfelt condolences go to the Neill whanau for a journey of him throughout his beautiful life that he thrived the film & TV scene as I saw on a front page of the Listener as of July 26th.

Sam Neill

1948 - 2026

Ordinary World: My 55th Blog of the year 2026

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first in the rugby as the former twice men's Rugby World Cup winning player for the AB's in both 2011 & 2015 of Ma'a Nonu has been given a 3 week ban for tackling Wandisile Simelane high that resulted in a sin bin by the referee who referred it to the TMO for dangerous contact infringement when Nonu's team of Toulon had a close shave when they won by 3 points against the Sharks in the European Rugby Champions Cup clash according to the Whanganui Chronicle sports newspaper article that I saw on April 9th this year.

And secondly in motor racing as the New Zealand Supercars Championship double header is coming, with Taupo first on the 10th to 12th of April at Taupo International Motorsport Park, then they head to their historic first ever South Island round at Ruapuna on the 17th through to the 19th at Euromarque Motorsport Park, but we have revealed the points leader of the championship, & it is former Supercars champion from 2023, & a winning driver of the Great Race that is the Bathurst 1000 from the year before alongside his fellow winning co-driver Todd Hazelwood, of Brodie Kostecki who currently drives for DJR as he dominated when he won all but one race at the Australian Grand Prix meeting last time out (The highest placed Kiwi is Matt Payne in the Ford who won the Jason Richards Memorial Trophy last year in Taupo, is 4th in the championship, while 'Woody' of Ryan Wood, is the highest placed Toyota driver in the championship at 7th going into the next event), meanwhile that James Warburton, the CEO of Supercars Championship, has announced his shock departure less than a year after his return due to the conflict between him & the board members such as the shareholders who asked him to step down that role, so the search of a new chief executive officer is on, & they have revealed that Barclay Nettefold will step in as the caretaker CEO who says that an influx of candidates have already come to the fore as the championship searches for its next chief executive officer according to Greg Murphy (The former 4 time winning driver of the Great Race that is the Bathurst 1000) who was chatting to Scott Pye on the Late Braking programme that I saw was shown on Sky Sport.

And thirdly that the 2006 Football (Soccer) men's World Cup final won by Italy about the Zinedine Zidane headbutt on Marco Materazzi that there was no VAR back then to refer it to a possible send off (It was introduced in 2018 to check for 4 things, whether it's a goal, a penalty, red card, &/or mistaken identity, & this is similar to the TMO in rugby where they always refer to both things, whether it's in the act of grounding a try, &/or foul play being involved according to the previous blogs that I did where the sport of football (Soccer) had turned into rugby), so the fourth official had seen something before the ref had shown Zidane the red card for assaulting the Italian defender (Moments before Florent Malouda, Zidane's teammate, got booked for a back chat) by using his head to knock Materazzi (Who got banned for abusing Zidane before the attack had occurred (And the fans attending the final were booing about that particular incident had occurred meaning that they were not happy by being livid with themselves because of the crowd who did not like it when they weren't appreciated about the reaction of the attack such as the French & Italian fans, as well as the neutrals including their locals such as the Germans in which that moment had shocked the football (Soccer) world following an heated exchange such as trash talking or more like the Aussie term of sledging, even though with the Italian defender as the French midfielder reacted with an assault following a verbal provocation that stunned the whole stadium which resulted in a send off offence (Which was the most notorious red cards of all time, compared to the 2023 men's Rugby World Cup where the All Black captain at the time of Sam Cane was the first man to be sent off in a men's RWC final for a dangerous tackle on Springbok centre Jesse Kriel (Cane had been shown the sin bin, & on report before it was being changed to a send off offence due to there was a high degree of force, but without mitigation in which the decision had been made by the English ref (Who got abused by our All Black fans who were upset & infuriated about the Aaron Smith try had been waved off as a result of a knock on in the scrum in the lead up to the try in which the war on ref abuse online (For which has become non-existent) had begun when Wayne Barnes got abused meaning that he is sick & tired of these abusers, & is out there to stamp out on hate therefore resulting in a crack down on abuse towards the rugby referees telling these people to back off by leaving them alone such as they asked to show respect at all times for that was dreadful & shocking according to the previous stories that I did on my blogs like from the year before) at the time was right) for one of the most notorious red cards in rugby of all time, even though we played with 14 players for the rest of the game because we fell short in the end) against the Frenchman in a moment of madness like that (And Materazzi never caught Zidane up again after that infamous headbutt during the 2006 World Cup final which went down in history when a headbutt after a brief exchange of words when the image of that moment will live forever in the memory of football (Soccer) fans, even though that the Football/Soccer men's World Cup winning goalkeeper of Italian Gigi Buffon who said that he was the VAR that he was convinced that Zidane should be sent from the field when the fourth official saw it, not the referee who did not see it because of a delay), therefore he missed a couple of matches for his club during the 2006-07 season) to the ground in vain as the French captain at the time had lost his cool, before being suspended for 3 matches, but since his retirement that he had to serve to work for the community for 300 hours as part of his sentence in exchange for that (And I'm discussing things about football (Soccer) at the moment on my blogs lately in anticipation of the Football (Soccer) men's World Cup in North America due in both June & July for which has been blighted by geopolitical tensions as well as the war in Iran (For which I was reminiscing with when I played GTA IV on the 16th of April with their best expansion pack to date that is the Ballad of Gay Tony where a stash or stick up when Luis Lopez & his amigos of Armando & Henrique, shoot towards the gangsters therefore triggering a gang war that I have not seen combat like that since Tehran, as well as the police until he & his cohorts head to their SUV to drive off before legislation enforcement reinforcements arrive by heading into the drop off point with their stash in order to complete the drug wars mission), especially the political side of it where fans around the world weren't able to travel by attending these matches (And ticket prices will be very dear needless to say) due to the boycott that most of them are avoiding the United States as I mentioned in my previous stories before, despite rugby being our unofficial national game here in New Zealand where it's a gem, & always been the king in our country (And I did a blog about it in 2022, but the sport was invented in 1823 in England (The birthplace of rugby (Along with cricket, football (Soccer), tennis & league as the other sports that the English had founded) by the late William Webb Ellis, so he picked the ball up & ran with it because it was against the loopholes in football (Soccer as I mentioned in my previous stories on my blogs), while cricket is our national summer game here (Compared to Australia where cricket is the national sport in the country, while their national winter game is Australian Rules Football).

And finally that I have revealed that my fave North American sport is out of the 4 along with baseball, gridiron & basketball, & it's ice hockey just like Rejean because of me owning 5 ice hockey games (I'll be getting the 2028 one that features the return of the World Cup of Hockey (Not due until 2028 where they had the last one which was in 2016), but I'll still be getting this & next year's edition of the NHL video games coming out) along with the 4 baseball games (And the reason why I wanted to get MLB the Show 26 is the World Baseball Classic was on & also I've got the 23, 24 & 25 ones as well) as well as the one gridiron game (Madden NFL 26) & both the basketball ones (NBA 2K22 & NBA 2K26) + the WWE 2K22, 2K23, 2K24, 2K25 & 2K26 wrestling game ones that I own at the moment.

So that is my 703rd blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 55th of this year, viva Ukraine.